CD NEWS!!!

Hello Everyone!

The BIG news is ... my CD "TAKING THE WHEEL" is finished!!! It's being manufactured as I write this, and should be ready in a couple of weeks.

I am so relieved to finally be at this stage of the process. I'm like a little kid at Christmas, counting down the days until I can rip open my presents. And with any luck, you can all celebrate with at my big fat CD RELEASE LISTENING PARTY. Details will be coming soon...

The last week has been a flurry of activity, building up to my signing off on the project yesterday. Firstly, I made the decision to go ahead with all 14 songs. I love them all so much, and after spending so much time making each one shine I couldn't let any go! And, since I received the copyright licenses for the final two songs that day, I figured that was a sign.

Next, my producer Freddy Gabrsek and I made our final tweaks to the mixes of the songs. We've been working on these mixes part time for months! Once we were absolutely satisfied, we sent it off to be 'mastered' by my long-time friend and technical wizard Andrew Seok. He would work on the songs, and send the mastered tracks back to Freddy and I. We would listen together, make notes on Andrew's work, and send it back for some tweaks. This process continued until Tuesday morning when I was satisfied that the songs could not possibly sound any better.

In the mean time I had been in contact with my Graphic Designer Heidi at Indie Pool, the company responsible for manufacturing the CD. Over the last two weeks, I had sent her the documents that I wanted to include in the CD liner booklet, along with photos of me from a recent session I did with David Cooper, the Shaw's main photographer. I would stay up working into the wee hours of the morning, trying to get my ideas down, so that Heidi could do the work the next day. There I was, after a show of Mack and Mabel or rehearsal of Tristan (or both), at the computer while Christine and Sydney slept soundly. Heidi and I bantered back and forth about possible layouts and ideas, and between the two of us, we finally settled on a layout.

By Tuesday, her work was finished, and it is spectacular. And it's not just me saying that. Trevor, my agent at Indie Pool said he thinks the booklet design is the best he's ever seen Indie Pool do. And the boss himself stopped to stare at the printouts, raving about the quality of the photography and the overall design. I just hope the beauty of the music can match it!

As I walked out of Indie Pool after signing off on the work, I had a tremendously euphoric feeling, like I was floating down the driveway to my car. This project has been in gestation for 9 months, and at that moment, I felt like I was giving birth... spiritually... (I know, all the mothers out there are gonna let me have it)... but seriously, in two short weeks, I'm going to set my baby free into this world, and see what happens. Will it be a success? Or will it be flipping burgers for a living? Time will tell, but I think I know how it will turn out.

That's all the news that is fit to print at the moment. Check back really soon for information about the impending CD RELEASE LISTENING PARTY!!!

Until then, keep Taking the Wheel everybody.